Gide, Andre, and Muller, Marie-Therese

two notebooks, Marie-Thérèse Müller's text in blue ink on the rectos, with uncertain readings and phrases in English on the facing versos, every page revised by Gide in black ink or occasionally pencil and blue ink, minor corrections made on the rectos, extensive revisions on the facing versos, about 70 pages (including all of Chapter III) entirely cancelled and rewritten, both volumes initialled "M.T.M." on front free endpapers, with title page ("Le Typhon") and foliations (each with 118 leaves) by Müller, in total nearly 470 pages plus a small number of blanks, 4to (223 x 117 mm), in two lined paper notebooks from Grands Magasins du Louvre, Paris, 1916-17, in a blue morocco backed chemise, lettered in gilt, and matching slipcase, a small number of leaves excised in the course of composition, wear to covers 

Unidentified auction, Paris, 1983; Christie's, New York, 14 December 2000, lot 72

Russell West, Conrad and Gide: Translation, transference and intertextuality (1996), 86-88

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
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The working manuscript for the French translation of Typhoon, revealing the true level of collaboration in the production of the text. André Gide (1869-1947) was one of the most important literary friends of Conrad's later years, although their friendship was almost exclusively epistolary. In 1915 Conrad accepted Gide's offer to supervise the translation of his works into French for Gallimard. Gide passed the translation of Typhoon to Marie-Thérèse Müller, a friend of Elisabeth van Rysselberghe. However, Gide was unhappy with Müller's work. The current manuscript shows that he revised her translation extensively, but it equally shows that Gide left large portions of Müller's translation intact. Yet Gide appears to have systematically effaced Müller's name from the translation: he removed her name from Gallimard's list of Conrad translators; commented to a number of friends that collaborative translation was always unsatisfactory; informed Conrad, when he sent him a typescript of the translation, that it was entirely his own work; and ensured that his was the only name to appear in the various printed editions of the translation. 

Conrad commented on the translation in a letter to Pinker on 10 May 1917: "It is wonderfully done - in parts. In others utterly wrong." He did not blame Gide for its perceived shortcomings but rather the inherently English nature of the story and admitted that "with all my knowledge of the two languages I can't do much either in the way of suggestion." (Collected Letters, VI, pp.88-89). The translation was first published in the two March 1918 issues of the Revue de Paris, a limited edition of 300 copies followed later in 1918 (see lot 43), and the Gallimard edition in 1923.